AS AN INTRODUCTION, I WOULD RECOMMEND CHECKING OUT THE VIDEOS ON POLISHING ALUMINUM BY ONE OF ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS ON YOUTUBE, D C SUPER SHINE. MANY HAVE EXPRESSED THAT THESE VIDEOS ARE THE MOST HELPFUL VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE FOR POLISHING ALUMINUM. THE OWNER OF D C SUPERSHINE HAS ASKED ME TO PUT TOGETHER A KIT THAT HE HAS DESIGNED FOR POLISHING ALUMINUM. WE HAVE DONE SO, AND IT IS CALLED THE D C SUPER SHINE KIT. IT IS AVAILABLE ON THIS WEBSITE UNDER THIS NAME. WE HAVE KEPT THE KIT PRICE JUST UNDER A HUNDRED DOLLARS AND THE SHIPPING COST FOR THE KIT IS ONLY $6.95! YOU WILL FIND THAT WE ADDED A SECOND KIT WHICH OFFERS MENZERNA ROUGE BARS, WHICH DENIS OF D C SUPER SHINE DESCRIBES AS "AWESOME." WE ALSO INCLUDE ZEPHYR #4 FAST CUT BUFFING WHEELS, A POLISHER FAVORITE. THIS KIT IS A TAD MORE EXPENSIVE, THUS WE OFFER BOTH KITS.

MACHINE POLISHING ALUMINUM WITH ZEPHYR BUFFING PRODUCTS, OR KEYSTONE POLISHING SUPPLIES, WILL INVOLVE THE FOLLOWING SUPPLIES AND STEPS:

1. ROUGE BARS  

THE GREY ROUGE BAR IS USED FOR VERY HEAVY CUTTING.
THE BROWN ROUGE BAR IS FOR PRIMARY (HEAVY) CUTTING. THIS IS THE BAR NORMALLY USED IN THE BEGINNING OF THE POLISHING PROCESS.
THE GREEN BAR IS FOR SECONDARY (MEDIUM) CUTTING OR SEMI-FINISH.
THE WHITE BAR IS FOR FINAL (FINE) FINISHING, HIGH LUSTRE FINISH.
THE PLATINUM SERIES ROUGE BARS ARE FOR FINAL-FINISH, SHOW QUALITY WORK. THE MOST POPULAR PLATINUM BAR AMONG MY CUSTOMERS IS THE BLUE BAR. THIS BAR IS CALLED A "COLORING" BAR, SIMPLY MEANING THAT IT IS NOT FOR CUTTING, BUT FOR ENHANCING THE BRILLIANCE.

2. POLISHING WHEELS

THE POLISHING WHEELS ARE AVAILABLE IN TWO DIAMETERS, EIGHT INCH AND TEN INCH. THE EIGHT INCH WHEELS ARE MOST FREQUENTLY USED BY THOSE INDIVIDUALS DOING THEIR OWN WORK. THE TEN INCH WHEELS, BECAUSE OF FASTER RESULTS, ARE OFTEN USED BY EXPERIENCED AMATEURS AND PROFESSIONALS. IN EITHER CASE, POLISHING ALUMINUM CAN INVOLVE AS MANY AS THREE STAGES, THE PRIMARY CUT, SECONDARY CUTTING, AND LASTLY THE FINAL FINISH. MOST POLISHERS, HOWEVER,  PREFER TO DO THEIR WORK IN TWO STAGES.

FOR PRIMARY CUTTING, USE THE AIRWAY ORANGE, BLUE, YELLOW FAST CUT, OR YELLOW MILL TREAT WHEELS. THE YELLOW WHEELS ARE A BIT LESS AGGRESSIVE THAN THE ORANGE AND BLUE WHEELS. BASE YOUR SELECTION ON THE EXTENT OF OXIDATION. ORANGE AND BLUE WOULD BE BETTER CHOICES THAN YELLOW FAST CUT OR YELLOW MILL TREAT IF VERY HEAVY-CUTTING IS REQUIRED. MANY POLISHERS CHOOSE TO START WITH THE YELLOW MILL TREAT WHEEL OR THE YELLOW FAST CUT WHEEL FOR THE MAJORITY OF THEIR WORK. THE YELLOW FAST CUT WHEEL IS A ZEPHYR WHEEL AND IS IN BETWEEN THE ORANGE (OR BLUE) ZEPHYR AIRWAY, AND THE YELLOW MILL TREAT IN AGGRESSIVENESS. IT IS A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE POLISHING WHEEL. AT THIS PRIMARY STAGE THE BROWN ROUGE BAR (HEAVY-CUTTING) IS USED WITH ANY OF THESE WHEELS.

FOR SECONDARY CUTTING (STAGE TWO) YOU CAN ALSO START WITH A YELLOW MILL TREAT WHEEL. THIS PARTICULAR WHEEL WORKS RATHER WELL AT EITHER STAGE. KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU CAN BEGIN YOUR WORK AT THIS SECOND STAGE IF HEAVY OXIDATION IS NOT PRESENT, USING THE GREEN ROUGE BAR RATHER THAN THE BROWN BAR. PLEASE NOTE THAT MANY POLISHERS ACTUALLY SKIP THIS STEP, USING ONLY TWO STEPS TO THEIR POLISHING WORK. THESE POLISHERS WILL BEGIN WITH ONE OF THE YELLOW WHEEL SELECTIONS (YELLOW FAST CUT OR YELLOW MILL TREAT), AND A BROWN BAR. THEY THEN MOVE ON TO THE FINAL FINISH STAGE MENTIONED BELOW.  IN ANY EVENT, IF YOU ARE BEGINNING YOUR WORK AT THIS SECONDARY STAGE, OR IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO YOUR WORK IN ALL THREE STEPS, OTHER BUFFING WHEEL CHOICES FOR THE SECONDARY CUT WOULD BE THE ZEPHYR PURPLE-LEA, OR ZEPHYR HALL GREEN BUFFING WHEELS.  PURPLE LEA AND HALL GREEN ARE MEDIUM TO LIGHT CUTTING POLISHING WHEELS. THESE WHEELS ARE LESS AGGRESSIVE THAN THE YELLOW WHEEL SELECTIONS. NOTE AGAIN THAT AT THIS SECONDARY STAGE THE GREEN ROUGE BAR IS USED.

THE FINAL FINISH STAGE (STAGE THREE) OF POLISHING ALUMINUM IS TO BRING OUT THE "MIRROR SHINE." FOR THIS LAST STAGE, USE THE ZEPHYR AIRWAY WHITE UNTREATED WHEEL, THE KEYSTONE WHITE TREATED WHEEL, OR ANY OF THE COTTON MUSLIN BUFFS IN 30, 40, 50 OR 60 PLY. THE MAJORITY OF MY CUSTOMERS PREFER TO USE THE WHITE UNTREATED WHEEL, OR THE KEYSTONE WHITE TREATED WHEEL. KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS STAGE OF MACHINE POLISHING CAN ALSO BE USED APART FROM THE PREVIOUS STEPS IN MAINTAINING YOUR ALUMINUM'S MIRROR SHINE. AT THIS STAGE OF POLISHING THE WHITE ROUGE BAR IS USED. (FOR ADDED BRILLIANCE, THE BLUE COLORING ROUGE IS SOMETIMES USED AS A FOLLOW-UP, AN EXTRA STEP, USING THE SOFT COTTON WHEELS.)

3. SAFETY FLANGE KIT

ALWAYS USE SAFETY FLANGES WITH ANY BUFFING WHEEL THAT HAS THE METAL CENTER PLATE. THE SAFETY FLANGE COVERS THE METAL CENTER PLATE TO PROVIDE PROTECTION IN THE EVENT A BUFFING WHEEL SHOULD COME APART. (ALSO USE A RESPIRATOR AND FACE SHIELD OR GOGGLES).

4. VARIABLE SPEED SANDER/GRINDER MACHINE (0 - 6000 RPMS)

A POPULAR POLISHING UNIT IS THE DEWALT 849 POLISHER, SOLD ON THIS WEBSITE UNDER "BUFFING SUPPLIES." THE RECOMMENDED RPMS FOR POLISHING ALUMINUM IS BETWEEN 1500 AND 2500. SOME PROFESSIONAL POLISHER, HOWEVER, PREFER TO POLISH AT HIGHER RPMS. POLISHING STAINLESS STEEL REQUIRES HIGHER RPMS. THE MAXIMUM RECOMMENDED RPMS FOR THE ZEPHYR AIRWAY BUFFING WHEELS IS 3400 RPMS.

5. ZEPHYR PRO 40 METAL POLISH ALONG WITH SOME MICROFIBER TOWELS.

POLISHERS WILL DO A FINAL WIPE DOWN OF THEIR ALUMINUM TO REMOVE ANY REMAINING ROUGE RESIDUE. THIS IS DONE WITH A METAL POLISH AND  MICROFIBER TOWELS. MAKE SURE YOUR MICROFIBER TOWELS ARE KEPT IN A BAG OR IN SUCH A WAY AS TO KEEP THEM FREE OF DIRT. MICROFIBER IS GREAT MATERIAL, BUT IT IS A MAGNET FOR DIRT AND MUST BE KEPT CLEAN SO AS TO AVOID COLLECTING ABRASIVE MATERIAL.  

MAKE SURE TO CLEAN AND DRY YOUR WHEELS PRIOR TO COMMENCING. IN PREPARATION, AN ACID WASH IS SOMETIMES RECOMMENDED. ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS USES A PRODUCT SIMILAR TO A LOW ODOR PAINT THINNER WITH AN SOS PAD TO PREP THE WHEELS, REMOVING ANY TAR AND HEAVY GRIME.  

1. PRIMARY CUTTING (BROWN ROUGE)

AFTER YOUR INITIAL PREPARATION, CHOOSE THE BUFFING WHEEL MOST APPROPIATE TO THE CONDITION OF YOUR ALUMINUM. FOR HEAVIER CUTTING, USE THE ORANGE OR BLUE BUFFING WHEEL. FOR LESS HEAVY CUTTING, CHOOSE THE YELLOW MILL TREAT; OR FOR SOMETHING IN BETWEEN, YOU MAY WANT TO USE THE ZEPHYR #4 YELLOW FAST CUT BUFFING WHEEL. THIS PARTICUALR WHEEL IS VERY POPULAR WITH PROFESSIONALS. THESE PROFESSIONALS ALMOST ALWAYS BEGIN WITH ONE OF THE YELLOW WHEELS. AT THIS BEGINNING POINT IN THE POLISHING PROCESS THE BROWN ROUGE BAR IS USED. IF YOUR ALUMINUM IS IN REASONABLY GOOD CONDITION, YOU MAY WANT TO BEGIN AT THE NEXT (SECONDARY) STEP. IF USING A WHEEL THAT HAS BEEN USED BEFORE, MAKE SURE IT IS CLEAN AND FREE FROM ABRASIVE PARTICLES.

IT IS UNNECESSARY, AND IN FACT SHOULD BE AVOIDED WHEN APPLYING ROUGE TO THE BUFFING WHEEL, THAT PRESSURE IS APPLIED. SIMPLY "TOUCH" THE ROUGE BAR WITH THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE BUFFING WHEEL UNTIL THE ROUGE ADHERES TO THE WHEEL. THE ROUGE BAR SHOULD BE PLACED ON A CLEAN SURFACE TO AVOID COLLECTING DEBRIS. THE POLISHING WORK ITSELF IS DONE BY LETTING THE ROUGE COMPOUND DO THE CUTTING AND POLISHING. AVOID THE TENDENCY OF APPLYING EXCESSIVE PRESSURE TO THE BUFFING WHEEL. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO AVOID EXCESSIVELY HIGH RPMS AS THE HEAT GENERATED ON THE WORK SURFACE WILL INTERFERE WITH THE ROUGE WORKING PROPERLY. THE RECOMMENDED RPMS FOR POLISHING ALUMINUM IS BETWEEN 1500 AND 3000. ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS, A LONG TIME PROFESSIONAL POLISHER, CONSISTENTLY POLISHES AROUND 2200 RPMS. MOST OF MY POLISHING CUSTOMERS DON'T POLISH BELOW THIS. THERE ARE POLISHERS WHO PREFER TO POLISH AT MUCH HIGHER RPMS. THESE POLISHERS HAVE BEEN DOING THIS WORK FOR A LONG TIME AND HAVE DEVELOPED A TECHNIQUE THAT WORKS WELL FOR THEM. THEY FEEL THAT THEIR RESULTS ARE SUPERIOR TO POLISHING AT LOWER RPMS. I MENTION IT, BUT CANNOT RECOMMEND IT, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE BUFFING WHEEL MANUFACTURERS PLACE LOWER RPM RECOMMENDED LIMITS ON THEIR WHEELS. 

IN GENERAL TERMS, YOU WILL WANT TO START AT THE TOP OR BOTTOM OF THE ITEM BEING POLISHED (FUEL TANK FOR EXAMPLE) AND POLISH BY SECTIONS. USE A SMOOTH LEFT TO RIGHT, RIGHT TO LEFT POLISHING MOTION. MAKE SEVERAL PASSES USING AN OVERLAPPING MOTION, AS YOU WORK ACROSS, TOP TO BOTTOM OR BOTTOM TO TOP. DON'T MOVE TOO QUICKLY, AND CLEAN YOUR BUFFING WHEELS PERIODICALLY DURING USE. APPLYING YOUR WHEEL TO THE POLISHING RAKE SHOULD BE A MATTER OF ONLY SECONDS. (DO THIS EVERY FEW INCHES OF WORK, OR AS YOU NOTICE A SILVERY-GRAY BUILD-UP BEGINNING TO OCCUR ON THE BUFFING WHEEL.)  WHEN OVERLAPPING, AS YOU MOVE UP OR DOWN THE TANK, MOVE ONLY A HALF INCH TO AN INCH AT A TIME. WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED WITH A BUFFING WHEEL, BE SURE TO CLEAN IT WITH A POLISHING RAKE. STORE THE BUFFING WHEELS IN A PLASTIC BAG TO KEEP THEM FROM PICKING UP ABRASIVE MATERIAL.

(NOTE: IF PITS AND DEEP SCRATCHES ARE PRESENT, OR TO OBTAIN THE ULTIMATE BRILLIANCE AND CLARITY, SANDING WILL BE NECESSARY PRIOR TO THE BUFFING PROCESS. YOU CAN START WITH ABOUT 280 - 320 GRIT AND WORK UP TO AROUND 1000 GRIT. DENIS, WITH DC SUPER SHINE, PREFERS DRY SANDING, AND GENERALLY STARTS AT 320 GRIT. HE THEN DOES A SECOND STEP AT 400 GRIT, FOLLOWED BY A THIRE STEP AT 600 GRIT. HE THEN BEGINS THE POLISHING PROCESS. ANOTHER VERY HELPFUL TIP FROM ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS IS THIS: BEFORE YOU USE YOUR NEW YELLOW BUFFING WHEEL ON THE TANK, BREAK IT IN BY DOING THE WHEELS FIRST. THIS SOFTENS THE BUFFING WHEEL AND SPREADS IT OUT THEREBY MINMIMIZING THE DEVELOPMENT OF LINES WHEN DOING THE TANKS.)

2. SECONDARY CUTTING (GREEN ROUGE)

FOR SECONDARY CUTTING, USE THE ZEPHYR PURPLE -LEA OR ZEPHYR HALL GREEN BUFFING WHEEL. IF YOU ARE BEGINNING YOUR TASK AT THIS STAGE, YOU MAY WANT TO USE THE ZEPHYR (OR KEYSTONE) YELLOW MILL TREAT AND THEN PROCEED TO THE THIRD (FINAL SHINE) STEP. AT THIS SECOND STEP, THE GREEN ROUGE BAR IS USED. 

USE THE SAME MOTION AND DIRECTION AS IN THE PRECEDING STEP. IF YOU NOTICE THAT THE ROUGE COMPOUND IS "CAKING' ON THE EDGE, USE A BUFFING WHEEL "POLISHING RAKE" TO CLEAN THE EXCESS COMPOUND FROM THE WHEEL. YOU DO NOT WANT TO HAVE A BUILD-UP OF ROUGE AND CRUD ON THE BUFFING WHEEL, OR THE ALUMINUM SURFACE. A COMMON MISTAKE IS TO USE TOO MUCH ROUGE. THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO REMOVE FROM THE ALUMINUM. IF YOU SHOULD GET A BUILD-UP OF ROUGE ON THE ALUMINUM, BACK OFF THE ROUGE, AND GO OVER THE AREA WITHOUT ADDITIONAL ROUGE. 

3. FINAL FINISH (WHITE ROUGE)

FOR THE FINAL STEP IN THE MACHINE POLISHING PROCESS, CHOOSE THE ZEPHYR WHITE UNTREATED BUFFING WHEEL, OR THE KEYSTONE WHITE TREATED WHEEL; OR YOU MAY OPT TO USE ONE OF THE COTTON MUSLIN BUFFS WHICH COME IN 30, 40, 50 OR 60 PLY. THE 30 PLY HAS THE LEAST WIDTH AND THE 60 PLY IS THE WIDEST. MOST POLISHERS, HOWEVER, PREFER THE WHITE UNTREATED OR THE WHITE TREATED WHEELS. USE THE SAME PROCEDURE AS IN THE PREVIOUS STEPS. (AFTER THIS THIRD STEP, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE ULTIMATE SHINE, YOU MAY WISH TO FOLLOW WITH THE BLUE MOON ROUGE AND A SOFT COTTON WHEEL LIKE THE ZEPHYR WHITE DOMET FLANNEL 40 PLY. THE BLUE ROUGE  IS NOT A CUTTING ROUGE, BUT A COLORING ROUGE, MEANING THAT IT IS USED TO ENHANCE THE BRILLIANCE OF THE ALUMINUM.)

4. FINAL WIPE DOWN

AFTER FINISHING THE ABOVE PROCESS, THIS LAST STEP (OPTIONAL)WILL TAKE CARE OF ANY DUST AND CAKED RESIDUE IN THE PORES OF THE ALUMINUM. APPLY THE LIQUID PRO 40 METAL POLISH, OR ANOTHER FAVORITE (SEE "CHOOSING A METAL POLISH") TO A MICROFIBER TOWEL. RUB THE SURFACE, GOING WITH THE GRAIN OF THE ALUMINUM, OR THE ROTATIONAL DIRECTION OF THE BUFFING WHEEL, UNTIL IT BECOMES BLACK. GOING WITH THE GRAIN OR THE ROTATIONAL DIRECTION OF THE BUFFING WHEEL ON A TANK FOR EXAMPLE, MEANS RUBBING UP AND DOWN AND NOT ACROSS OR SIDE TO SIDE . IF YOU GO ACROSS OR SIDE TO SIDE, YOU WILL CREATE A HAZY LOOK BY MAKING SMALL MINOR SCRATCHES. WHEN THE ALUMINUM TURNS BLACK, LET THE POLISH DRY TO A HAZE, AND THEN RUB OFF WITH A CLEAN, DRY MICROFIBER TOWEL. IT MUST BE MENTIONED THAT NOT ALL POLISHERS DO A FINAL WIPE DOWN WITH A METAL POLISH. ANOTHER OPTION IS TO PUT SOME FLOUR ON A MICROFIBER TOWEL AND WIPE THE ALUMINUM DOWN, THUS REMOVING ANY RESIDUE. SOME POLISHERS FEEL THAT THE RESULTS ACHIEVED BY THEIR POLISHING METHOD MAKES THIS ENTIRE STEP UNNECESSARY. IN ANY EVENT, GOOD WORK; ENJOY YOUR RESULTS!

5. CONCLUSION

FOR FURTHER HELP ON MACHINE POLISHING, BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE "HOW TO POLISH ALUMINUM VIDEOS" OF D C SUPER SHINE ON YOUTUBE.